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OPINION

Governor should sign family rights bill

Gov. Rick Scott has the opportunity to make shared parenting after divorce the norm in Florida, aligning our state law with research that shows the best interests of our children are met when they have close to equal time with mom and dad following divorce.

Unfortunately, opposition to this common sense reform on the governor’s desk, SB 668, comes from too many of the people parents hire to represent them – attorneys. Not only do studies show that children desperately want and need both parents, but allowing parents to walk into the courtroom on equal footing — which this legislation allows —dramatically reduces a highly contentious battle that regularly leads to a mountain of legal costs.

Too often, the only ones who exit the courtroom feeling like winners are attorneys, who routinely collect tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees for a single case. It comes as no surprise, then, that these attorneys – leadership of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar – are opposing SB 668. This highly influential and affluent group of divorce attorneys make their living off our broken system, and with that in mind, they’ve paid lobbyists to work against child-friendly legislation. Given this clear conflict of interest, Gov. Scott should see these lawyers and their lobbyists for what they are: wolves in sheep's clothing.

It’s not surprising that the Florida Bar’s Family Law Section members are working to preserve a process that personally benefits them. In fact, far too many have experienced a family law system benefiting attorneys far more than children and families. Considering a large and growing body of evidence overwhelmingly supports shared parenting and shows the status quo has devastating impacts on our children, the Bar’s stance is alarming.

As just one example, the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study last year that concluded shared parenting after divorce is in the best interest of children. Additionally, consider that, according to federal statistics, children being raised by single parents account for 63 percent of teen suicides; 71 percent of high school dropouts; 75 percent of children in chemical abuse centers; and 85 percent of those in prison.

Plus, despite the changing roles of parents in our modern families, our outdated family courts continue to make one parent responsible for child rearing while thrusting the other parent into the role of breadwinner and little more than visitor to their children.

As the debate about SB 668 continues, the Florida Bar should recuse themselves from a discussion where they have a conflict of interest, and Gov. Scott should stand up for families and sign the bill into law. This legislation is not a father’s rights bill, nor is it a mother’s rights bill – it’s a family rights bill, one that promotes gender equality for parents while also supporting the very best interests of our children.